My Favorite Sites

Just One Moment

Last night I got home late. I had stayed at school to make some copies, stopped by Craighead’s to chat with Belinda, and then filled up at the gas station. By the way, I still feel blessed when I put gas in the truck. I vividly remember filling up my car two or three times a week when I was teaching over in Hugo. It is great to get by with so much less now that I’m working close to home.

Anyway, when I got home I realized I had only about twenty minutes of light left. I am dreading the days ahead when I will not be able to take pictures in the evening, so I told Gary I was going out to make “one walk around the yard” to see if anything was going on. I was rewarded with the photos you see here.

Later, as I was cooking spaghetti for dinner, I thought about how refreshed I felt after taking that one lap around the yard. Just that one moment of seeing the black butterfly was such a delight! And I would have missed it if I had decided that it was getting too late to be out wandering around with the camera.

I have always been a wanderer, a rambler, a gypsy nomad. I love to walk and look. I love Sunday drives. I love traveling in the summer. I think that is why I dread winter, along with so many other folks. I’m not much of a winter wanderer. Safety and warmth and comfort seem to take precedent over my wanderlust and I become the world’s worst couch potato!

So here is my new plan for this winter- one moment of joy. I’m going to try to look for one moment of joy each day by being a little more active and aware than I was last year. I think my new obsession with the camera will help. I also want to invest more effort in appreciating some of the good things about winter. I’m sure there are some good things…you can help me make a list! LOL

I posted on Facebook that I’m preparing for winter- coffee, chocolate, cocoa, oatmeal, flannel sheets, electric blanket, mittens, gloves, afghans, warm socks. It is also a matter of mental preparation. And yes, I realize how very blessed I am to live in a relatively mild climate. I still have painful memories of my winter in Iowa!